Fruit-marking machine



20, 1929- J. M. WARNER 1,725,384

FRUIT MARKING MACHINE Filed June 8, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l gwuentoz Jay M I/Varner;

Aug. 20,- 1929. J. 'M WARNER 1,725,384

FRUIT MARKING MACHINE Filed June 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 amulet J M I/Varher;

Patented Aug. 20, 1929.

U N I T ED ST AT -E1 S PATENT OFFICE.

JOY M. WARNER, OF SANTA PAULA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS 'TO NATHAN W. ZBLANOHARD INVESTMENT COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF CALIFOR- NIA.

FRUIT-MARKIN G MACHINE.

Application .filed June 8,

This invention relates to marking machines and, while features of the invention may be applied to marking machines of any type, the invention is particularlyapplicable when applied to marking machines such as are employed for marking citrus fruits. In these machines the marking is accomplished usually by means of a rotary die having a plurality of printing plates or dies disposed equidistant around its periphery. In practice there may be a number of'such rotary dies, each of which constitutes a marking unit. In the operation of each marking unit the citrus fruit is caused to roll over the uppermost die, at

I which time the printing is effected on the skin of the fruit. The dies are heatedinternally by electric heaters. The inking pads are generally carried upon arms corresponding to the different printing units. l/Vith machines of this type, when the actuating motor is stopped by opening the switch, it sometimes happens that the machine will stop with one of the pads in contact with its corresponding die, and when this occurs the heat of the die may injure the pad.

The general object of this invention is to overcome this difiiculty and to provide means for insuring that when themachine is stopped all the pads will be out of contact with the dies. This could be accomplished by openingthe motor switch at the proper moment to stop the motor in a position that will hold the pads out of contact with the dies.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide means for throwing the switch open at the proper moment of the cycle of movement of the rotary die. In order to accomplish this, I prefer to employ a special cam with which a hand operated part, such as a lever, co-operates. This cam is on the camshaft that controls the arms that carry the pads. lVhen this cam is in'a certain position it will permit this lever to move. If the operator of the machine simply pulls on the lever and maintains the pull until this special cam arrives in its proper position, then the -motor switch will be opened at the proper time. However, this would necessitate the operator waiting for a certain time, and maintaining the pull upon the lever.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide means which will enable the operator to pull the controlling member and thereby set a spring in constraint so that when the 1927. Serial No. 197,308.

special camarrives in the proper position the spring will throw the motor switch open.

Afurther object of the invention is to provide automatic means for applying a brake to the motor to stop it promptly and also to provide means for throwing the switch quickly, thereby avoiding injurious sparking at the switch.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter. Y

The invention consists in the novel parts and combination of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efficientfruit marking machine. I

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing partsof the machine and illustrating the parts of my invention, certain of which are shown in cross section and others broken away.

Figure 2 is a view taken about on the line 22 of Figurel and particularly-illustrating the details of the brake for stopping 'the motor promptly.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view showing certain parts in side elevation and illustrating a modified embodiment of the invention; in this embodiment of the invention a solenoid is employed that is energized while the motor circuit is closed, and operates, when the machine is running, to permit the opera tion of the arms that carry the inking pads; when the circuit is broken to stop the machine, a spring operates a lever to move the arms carrying the inking pads away from the dies.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view showing another embodiment of the invention and certain parts in section; in this embodiment of the invention the arms of the inking-pads are controlled by the speed of rotation of the motor shaft through the agency of a governor. When the motor stops the governoroperates to control the mechanism to hold :the pad arms away from the dies.

Figure 5 is a cross-section on the line '5'5 of Figure 4 upon an enlarged scale.

Referring particularly to the preferred embodiment of the invention disclosed in Figures 1 and 2, 1 represents the frame of the machine.

In the upper part of the 'fira'me an inclined runway 2 is provided, down which the fruit 3 descends. The fruit is fed in succession to the upper end of the runway by means of a continuously operated conveyor 4.

The machine includes a rotary feed device having four arms or blades at right angles toeach other. These blades project up into the path of the fruit on the runway and at each quarter turn it permits a fruit to pass along the runway and to roll across the face ofthe uppermost die plate 6 on a' rotary die or die holder 7. The rotary die 7 has a number of the die-plates 6 attached to it. In the present instance there are twelve of these plates. The rotary die 7 is rotated periodically through a Geneva stop-movement 8. p

The interior of the rotary die is heated, usually by an electric heating element 9. While the fruit 3 is rolling across the uppermost die plate 6 an inking pad 10 is being tion to swing the arm 11 up to apply the pad to the die. The motion of each arm is controlled by its corresponding cam 14 on a cam-shaft 15. 'As each die plate 6 arrives at the lowest point of its rotation the flat or dip 16 of the cam 14 permits the roller 17 on the arm 11 to rise, and this permits the spring 13 to move the arm 11 upwardly and apply the pad to the lowermost die-plate.

The Geneva stop-movement '8 may be driven from the cam shaft of the machine. The cam-shaft 15 may be driven through gear-wheels 19 and 20, the latter of which is driven by a gear-wheel 21 on the shaft of a worm-wheel 22 driven by a worm in the worm-housing 23 and attached to a shaft carrying belt pulleys 24. These pulleys are speed pulleys and may be driven by a motor 25 on the floor, through a belt 26.

In applying my invention to a machine of this general type, I provide a controlling member which moves with the mechanism of the machine. This controlling member is preferably in the form of a cam 27 fixed on the cam-shaft 15. I also provide a lever 28 which is loosely attached on the shaft 12 that supports the arms 11. This lever 28 has a cam roller 29, the face of which lies near the face of the cam 27. I provide a hand-operated member connected with'this lever 28 for pulling the lever toward the cam, and in order to insure that this movement of the lever 28 will take place when the cam-shaft is in the proper position to insure that the motor will stop with all of the pads held off of the die-plates, I provide the side of the cam 27 with a deep notch or flat 30. When the operator desires to stop the machine, the lever 28 should be pulled against the cam 27, and when the notch 30 arrives opposite the roller 29, the arm permits a movement of the lever 31 of the controlling switch 32 that controls the flow of current through the circuit 32 to the motor. In this connection, it should be understood that the lever 28 would be connected up by a suitable mechanism to the switch-lever 31.

I prefer, however, to construct the handcontrolled member with means to enable the lever 28 to be set against the face of the cam 27 so that the operator can merely operate the hand-operated part and then leave the machine to stop. In order to accomplish this I provide a hand-operated member 33 in the form of a handle guided to slide through an opening 34 in a vertical plate 35. (See Figure 1.) This handle 33 has spring associated with it in such a way that the spring can be set in constraint so that as soon as the notch 30 arrives at the roller 29 the spring will actuate the arm 28 and the switch-lever 31. In the present instance the inner end of the handle 33 is formed in to a spring barrel 36 which houses a coil spring 37. This spring is disposed around the end of a pullrod 38, and the left end of the spring thrusts against a head 39 on the end of this red. The right-hand end of this spring thrusts against the end of the spring barrel. The pull-rod 38 is attached to an arm 40 of a hell-crank lever 41, and this arm is also attached to a link 42 which is pivotally attached to the upper end of the lever 28.

The under side of the handle 33 is cut away so as to form a shoulder 43. hen the machine is to be stopped the operator pulls the handle 33 to the left and sets the shoulder 43 against the lower edge of the opening 44. This sets the spring 37 in compression, and when the notch 30 moves around to the roller 29 the spring 37 will actuate the switch. I prefer to provide a quick-action mechanism for throwing the switch lever 31, in order to avoid sparking at the switch contacts. For this purpose, the lower arm 45 of the bellcrank lever 41 is provided with a coil spring 46, the other end of which is attached to the end of an arm 47 of a bell-crank lever 48, the lower arm of which is connected by a link 49 with a lever 50, that is connected by a link 51 with the end of the switch lever 31. l/Vhen the spring 37 is permitted by the cam 27 to pull the lever 40 to the left, the arm 45 swings down and pulls the lower end of the spring 46 to a point below the arm 47. This will shift the direction of pull in the spring so that it will pull the arm 47 downward and this would swing the lever 50 toward the left and open the switch in the switch-box 32.

An automatic brake is provided for stopping the motor promptly. For this purpose on the under side of the pulley 24, I provide a brake 52, the shoe of which is carried on an arm '53 to which a brake lever 54 is pivotally attached, said lever 54 having a fulcrmn 55 in an opening formed in a fixed bracket-plate 56. The arm 47 of the bell-crank lever 48 is connected by a link 56 to a lever 57 supported on a bracket 58', the other arm of this lever being connected by a link 59 to the end of the lever 54. lVith this construction, it will be evident that when the bell-crank lever 47 is actuated by the spring 37 through the medium of the spring 46 the link 56 will be pulled down and this will pull the lever 54 up and apply the brake.

Stop pins 47 are provided for holding the levers in their two different positions.

In order to give a. parallel movement to the brake 52, the lower end of its arm 53 may be attached by link 60 to the lower end of the bracket 56.

Another embodiment of the invention is disclosed in Figure 3. In this embodiment of the invention I provide a solenoid G1, the coil of which is energized by a current flowing in the branch circuit 61 leading off from the wiring 62 of the motor 63. This branch circuit 61 is closed whenever the switch 64 is closed.

The core 65 of the solenoid is attached by a link66 to a lever 67, said lever being attached to a shaft 68 having an arm 69 disposed above the arm 70 that carries the inking pad 71.

When the switch 64 is opened, the coil 61 ceases to pull the link 66, whereupon a coil spring 72 attached to the lever 67 rocks the lever 67 toward the left and this depresses the arm 70 and holds it down so that the pad 71' will be held away from the die-plate 73. Of course, there must be an arm 69 corresponding to each of the pad-arms 70, but it is only necessary to provide a single solenoid coil 61.

Another embodiment of the invention-is disclosed in Figure 4', in which the speed of the machine automatically maintains the pad arms in co-operation with their cams. However, when the machine stops, the pad arms are automatically moved away from the dies, and out of contact with the cams. In this embodiment of the invention I provide a speed-controlled governor 74, which is associated with the shaft 75 carrying the beltpulleys 7 6 that correspond to the belt pulleys 24. The governor 7 4 is provided with centrifugal weights 77. (See Figure 5.) These weights are normally pulled toward each other by coil springs 78, and are pivoted at '4' 9; beyond the pivots 79 inclined arms 80 are provided which are rigid with the weights. When the machine stops running these weights 77 approach the shaft 75, and when this occurs the arms 80 move a loose collar 81 along the shaft 7 5. This collar operates a lever 82 connected with a lever 83, connected by a link84 to a lever 85. This lever 85 corresponds to the lever 67 already described in connection with Figure 3, and the movement of this lever moves the pad arms 86 down in the manner described in connection with Figure 3.

A coil spring 87 is attached to the lever 82 and normally holds the collar 81 against the ends of the levers 80, and when these levers permit the collar 81 to move to the right, the motion of the lever 82 by the spring would be imparted to the lever 85; this would swing the lever 85 toward the right and permit the pad arms 86 to come into position to be controlled by their cams on the cam-shaft.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described herein is only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in the claims, to the particular embodiment set forth.

IVhat I claim is:

1. In a marking'machine, the combination of a rotary die, means for heating the same, a movable arm, an inking'pad carried by the arm, the heated die being capable of burn ing the said pad, a camshaft for actuating the arm to apply the pad periodically to the die, and for holding the arm in a position to maintain the pad out of contact with the die when the rotation of the die ceases, thereby prelventing the heated die from burning the 1 2. In a marking machine, the combination of a rotary die, means for heating the same, a cam-shaft, a movable arm controlled by the cam-shaft, an inking pad carried by the arm so as to be applied periodically to the rotary die, the heated die being capable of burning the said pad, a motor for driving the rotary die and the cam-shaft, and for stopping the cam-shaft in a position to hold the pad out of contact with the heated die, thereby preventing the heated die from burning the pad.

3. In a marking machine, the combination of a rotary ,die, a cam-shaft, a movable arm controlled by the camshaft, an inking pad carried by the arm so as to be applied periodically to the rotary die, a motor for driving the rotary die and the cam-shaft, a motor circuit with a switch, a brake for the motor, and means for opening the motor switch and applying the brake in a timed relation with respect to the camshaft to stop the rotation of the cam-shaft in a position that will hold the pad out of contact with the die.

4. In a marking machine, the combination of a rotary die. a cam-shaft, a movable arm controlled bythe cam-shaft, an inking pad carried by the arm so as to be applied periodically to the rotary die, a motor for driving the rotary die and the cam-shaft, a motor switch for cont-rolling the same, a handoperated member, a spring controlled thereby and adapted to be set for operation by the same, means connecting the spring with the motor switch and a partmoving in timed relation with the cam-shaft and having means for permitting the spring to open the switch to stop the motor when the pad is out of con tact with the die.

5. In a marking machine the combination of a rotary die, a cam-shaft, a movable arm controlled by the cam-shaft, an inking pad carried by the arm so as to be applied periodically to the rotary die, a motor "for driving the rotary die and the cam-shaft, a motor switch for controlling the same, a hand-' operated member, a spring controlled thereby and adapted to be set for operation by the same, means connecting the spring with the motor switch and a part moving in timed relation with the cam shaft and having means for permitting the spring to open the switch to stop the motor when the pad is out of contact with the die, and an automatic brake actuated by the spring for stopping the motor promptly.

6. In a marking machine, the combination of a rotary die, a cam-shaft, a movable arm controlled by the cam-shaft, an inking pad carried by the arm so as to be applied periodically to the rotary die, a motor for driving the rotary die and the cam-shaft, a motor switch for controlling the same, a hand-operated member, a'spring controlled thereby and adapted to be set for operation by the same, means connecting the spring with the motor switch, and a cam on the cam-shaft, a lever pulled by the said spring toward the said cam, said cam operating when the pad is held out of contact with the die to permit the spring to open the motor switch and stop the motor. I

7 In a marking machine, the combination of a rotary die, a cam-shaft, a movable arm controlled by the cam-shaft, an inking pad carried by the arm so as to be applied periodically to the rotary die, a motor for driving the rotary die and the cam-shaft, a motor switch for controlling the same, a hand-operated member, a sprin g controlled thereby and adapted to be set for operation by the same, means connecting the spring with the motor switch, a cam on the cam-shaft, a lever pulled by the said spring toward the said cam, said cam operating when the pad is held out of contact with the die to permit the spring to open the motor switch and stop the motor, and an automatic brake actuated by the spring for stopping the motor promptly.

8. In a marking machine, the combination of arotary die, a movable arm, an inking pad carried by the arm, automatic means for moving the arm to apply the pad to the die periodically, a motor for driving the rotary die and having a switch for controlling the same, a hand-operated member, a quick-action connection between the spring and the-switch for throwing the switch quick y, means moving in timed relation to the die to eitect the stopping of the motor when the arm holds the pad out of contact with the die.

9. In a marking machine, the combination oi a rotary die, a movable arm, a cam-shaft with a cam for controlling the arm, an inking pad carried by the arm to be applied periodically to the rotary die, a motor for driving the rotary die and the cam-shaft, a motorswitch for controlling the motor, a handoperated member, a spring adapted to be set for operation by the hand-operated member, a second cam on the cam-shaft, a lever adjacent to the same, connected with the hand operated member and urged by said spring tov' 'd the second-named cam, means co-operwith the hand-operated member for setting the same in a position to place the spring in constraint, said second-named cam co-operating with said lever to permit a movement of the lever when the second-named cam arrives at predeteri'nined position, and when the arm is holding the pad out of contact with the die, and a quick-action connection between the spring and the switch, said parts co-operating to stop the motor when the pad is out of contact with the die.

10. In a marking machine, the combination of a rotary die, a cam-shaft, a movable arm controlled by the cam-shaft, an inking pad carried by the arm so as to be applied periodically to the rotary die, a motor for driving the rotary die and the cam-shaft, a motorswitch. a second cam on the cam-shaft, a pullrod with a hand-operated member for controlling the same, a spring between the handoperated member and the pull-rod, means cooperating with the hand-operated member to permit the same to be set in position to hold the spring in constraint, a lever connected with the pull-rod and adapted to be held against the cam when the spring is held in constraint, said lever and said cam co-operating to permit the lever to be moved by the spring when the cam-shaft is in a position to hold the inking-pad out 01" contact with the die, motor switch for the motor, and means connecting the pull-rod with the switch to open the same when the spring moves the lever.

Signed at Los Angeles, Calif., this 18 day of May, 1927. 

